BEHAVIOURAL REACTIONS AND GROWTH ABILITIES OF NEW CREATING GENOTYPE WEANED PIGS RAISED AT DIFFERENT CONDITIONS
M. Kirov, S. Ivanova, V. Dojchev
Abstract: A study with 48 weaned pigs from new creating hybrid combinations – mother (Denube White x English Landrasse x Pietren) x father (Danish Landrasse) was carried out. Pigs were raised at three different conditions – pen on the floor (FP), pen on the floor with outside yard (OY) and in crates (C).
It was established time spent for moving at creation of the groups was higher than at the end of the growing period. The difference between groups has been kept at the beginning and at the end of the period, at the expense of FP pigs. In the first days of behavioural observations less cases of aggression have been observed in C pigs, but fight for leader positions have been strengthened later and have been prolonged longer. Differences in average daily gain and feed conversion ratio between the groups were not statistically significant. In conclusion the observations showed new creating genotype pigs were well adapted to the most common applied raising conditions in practice.
It was established time spent for moving at creation of the groups was higher than at the end of the growing period. The difference between groups has been kept at the beginning and at the end of the period, at the expense of FP pigs. In the first days of behavioural observations less cases of aggression have been observed in C pigs, but fight for leader positions have been strengthened later and have been prolonged longer. Differences in average daily gain and feed conversion ratio between the groups were not statistically significant. In conclusion the observations showed new creating genotype pigs were well adapted to the most common applied raising conditions in practice.
Keywords: behaviou; hierarchy; raising conditions; weaned pigs
Date published: 2017-03-16
Download full text